i suck at printing.

[KJ Smith]

Originally Posted by Valerie

I make test strips to determine contrast first. Reason is that changing contrast filters can mean changed exposure times.

Then there is split-grade printing..... but we will go into that later........

But you already have a good idea of what your exposure should be, right?

You need to be in the ball park first.

He is still looking for a parking space.

But yea, the last class I took they wanted everyone to filter to a #2.

That way when you reset the contrast, the exposure time would not vary so much.



Conor,

Are you stopping down the lens ?

You need a minimum exposure time also.

I print to fast. I think I read that Ilford MC prefers a 10 sec. exposure.

It should be on the poop sheet that came in the paper box.

[picman]

Learn and practice the Zone System. You have to do the testing part to find your exposure and developing times.

Keep a notebook with negs, contact sheets and documentation. You need to be able to refer back. When I took Zone in school we had to test and document 3 or 4 films. I kept and used the notebooks for a long time

Get the variables totally under control - same film, same paper, same chemicals, same temperatures, same everything. When that is working for you then you can branch out.

When you get your negative exposure and development under control printing is almost seem automatic.

[wclavey]

Conor, I don't want to insult you nor do I want to assume you already know more than you do. When my son was first learning to print (...he is now a much better analog printer than I) I wrote a set of instructions for him, just to be able to produce good contact sheets. He had simply launched into enlarging negatives without figuring out how to calibrate his darkroom set-up. So everything was hit or miss and he could never get pictures he liked nor could he ever reproduce the ones he did. By showing him how to produce a good contact strip first, I could then show him how to take what looked like a "good negative" and produce a good enlargement. And when I watch him print now, he still never goes to enlarging before he goes through the contact print and assessment steps.

I will send you those instructions (...after I fix up a few typos in them). You may know it all already, and in that case I apologize in advance.

[ronocnikral]

got the instructions. Thanks westley.

i will try next time i print. i appreciate it. and it's pretty difficult to insult me. thanks again for the instructions.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

... and it's pretty difficult to insult me. thanks again for the instructions.

That sounds like a project.

Since you have the Printing Gospel According to Westley, we can stop throwing out information willy-nilly.

I purchased this and it's chock full of good information. I need to start at the beginning. Forget everything I thought I knew. Work my way through Bruce's book from beginning to end. Bruce is also a nice guy. Buying his book seems better to me than sending my money to a conglomerate.

Finely Focused.htm

Good luck!

[wclavey]

Actually, Wayne, what you have may be absolutely perfect - - I haven't seen it, but at least, Bruce probably knows what he is talking about and with me, you run the risk of getting what you paid for...

[henrysamson]

Another good resource for getting 'your system' for black and white analog exposure, processing and printing calibrated is Fred Picker's book "Zone VI Workshop". Takes you through the entire process from exposure to final print one step at a time. It is out of print but I see some used book sellers on Amazon are selling it for $99.00 new (Yikes!) but $0.59 used. I saw two or three copies at Half Price Books in Austin on Guadelupe for about $5.00 a few weeks ago. Bruce Barlow worked with Fred and his CD book which Wayne mentioned is good also.

If you have access to any fine prints in the same medium that your are using (silver gelatin in your case) that can REALLY help. More so as you get over the initial bumps and are fine tuning your vision. Gives you something to shoot for. No pun intended.

[ronocnikral]

well, thanks to westley...i tried some of his techniques and found something very interesting...

my paper developer was spent. went and got some new dektol et voila. not pumping out anything i would hang in a gallery, but decent prints that makes dayna say, that's pretty good.

thanks all. especially westley and all those on apug...

[venchka]

Hank,

Bruce Barlow worked for Zone VI Studios and Fred. I reckon his book has much of Fred's work in it. Bruce is still alive and derives a modest income from his book on CD.